Live Like You Were Dying
Title: Live Like You Were Dying
Author: kazeko
Show: Power Rangers
Rating: PG 13
Chapters: ?
Series: no, also no relation to "Children of the Gods"
Multipart: yes
Time: About a year after Power Rangers in Space, changing the Power Rangers timeline after that
Couple(s): Tommy/Kimberly, Jason/Kat, Tanya/Adam
Disclaimer: Saban and Disney own Power Rangers and they don't deserve it if they won't release MMPR on DVD!
Disclaimer 2: I own everything else, including characters, other planets, and the plot.
Author's Note: Well, here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long . . . read, enjoy, review!
Chapter 15: Princess of the Stars
Kimberly awoke slowly, smiling as warm sunlight covered her. She paused, wondering where she was. Sunlight never woke her in her Miami apartment. Startled, she sat up, finding Tommy's green flannel shirt and her little white bear sharing the bed with her. She was wearing one of Tommy's white shirts, easily long enough to be a dress on her, the pink silk dress and her slip hanging from the closet door. She knew without question that Tommy had found a way to change her into something comfortable without ever seeing her naked, and she was both grateful and a little jealous. She didn't get to see him. Shaking her head, she slipped out of bed, decided she was decent enough to talk to her fiancé, and wandered into the living room, the bear he had given her still safe in her arms. She smiled as she found him asleep on the couch, sprawled across part of the back and down to the floor, a single blanket warding off the night chills. He hadn't bothered to get that undressed, remaining in a shirt and shorts, loose hair covering the pillow. She smiled as she knelt down beside him, running her fingers through his straight hair, eyes meeting his as he slowly woke up.
"Morning, Beautiful," he managed. "Have a good night?"
"I can't believe I just fell asleep on you," she admitted, watching as Tommy sat up and stretched before pulling Kim onto the couch beside him. She easily melted into his arms again, pulling at the shirt she was wearing. "Thanks for changing me out of that dress. I might have ruined it, and that was not a cheap get-up."
"I thought you might be more comfortable."
"Why didn't you just take me back to Tanya's apartment? I don't weight that much, do I, Tommy?"
He laughed. "No, of course not. But I kind of liked the thought of you sleeping in my bed, no matter how temporary the ownership is."
Kimberly blushed. "Thank you."
"Are you hungry? I can't cook, but I'm sure I can find something."
"Sure, Tommy. Thank you." Kimberly watched as Tommy left, amazed that she had been able to forget him at all. He was the best boyfriend—fiancé—in the entire world. She hugged her bear closer and leaned back, pulling the blanket around her thin frame as she listened to the clattering sound of her partner trying desperately to find something edible in the second Black Ranger's kitchen.
A knock on the door jolted her out of her memories, and the petite brunette wrapped the blanket around herself and shuffled to the door, opening it. "Yes?"
A tall woman with emerald eyes and red hair stood their, one eyebrow raised. "So. I didn't expect this."
Kimberly smiled in understanding and gestured for the woman to follow her into the small apartment. "Tommy, Baliree's here."
"I still don't have anything to eat," Tommy complained as he reentered the living room, neither noticing the shock on the duchess's face. "I imagine you've come for your princess, then? As per Section Four of the Zameri'net?"
"How do you know about that?"
Tommy shrugged as he handed Kimberly a robe and folded the blanket she had been using. "I found some of Zordon's old files, translated by our first Blue Ranger. Kim, I'm sure you don't want to wear my shirt for the rest of the day, so let's head to Tanya's and dig you up some clothes."
"Sounds like a plan." She glanced over her shoulder at the Shamiri. "Coming?"
Jason glanced up from his conversation with Kat as Kimberly slipped into Tanya's room, blushing at the cheers from her friends. Rocky, Jason, Adam, and Zack were banished into the living room as the girls pulled Kimberly into the bedroom and deluged her with questions about her night.
"Why are you all here, anyway?"
Kat laughed. "Do you have any idea how late it is? It's after ten!"
Kimberly glanced at the clock as she slid her shirt over her head. "Wow, it really is late. Should I wear a skirt or shorts?"
"Go for the skirt," Kat suggested, handing her a light pink skirt with a lavender design on the hem. Kim took it, smiling as she slipped it on.
"Thanks for getting my stuff, guys."
"No problem. Hey, what were you and Tommy doing all night that kept you from noticing the time?"
Kimberly blushed a darker shade of pink than her skirt at Aisha's question. "Nothing," she managed. "He . . . he gave me that box and the flannel shirt. Do you remember that bear Tommy gave me when I was in the hospital? It was in that box, along with a lot of pictures of us. I must have put them and my medals there when I wrote Tommy that letter to break away from my old life. I'm really going to miss you guys."
Kat smiled as she turned to lead the group out. "What do you mean? You and Tommy don't have to leave yet."
"Baliree's here," she whispered. "It's time for us to go."
"Kimberly, I don't want you to go."
"Kat?" Kimberly turned back to the woman who was fast becoming one of her close friends, shocked to find tears in the Aussie's blue eyes. Trini, Aisha, and even Tanya were nodding. "But we have to go. The Adamarei Alliance needs us."
"I wish it didn't," Aisha whispered. "We only just got back together, Kim. It just seems like the world is always conspiring to keep us apart. We saved the world. A lot. We need—we deserve—a reward, a break, retirement for goodness sake!"
"I'll think of something," Kimberly whispered, returning to the living room. Tommy had finally arrived, his clothing less wrinkled than what he had worn to bed, Baliree standing beside the couch as he introduced the other Rangers. Tommy pulled Kimberly into his arms as she emerged, watching as the other Rangers paired up and turned to face the young duchess. "So I guess you're here to ask me to come be your princess because your Queen Anarii was sterilized by this magical plague the Dragons got first and needs an heir to pass her powers onto."
"How did you know?"
"A friend told us. The thing is, I'm not sure I want to go."
"What?"
"Tommy, I love you with all of my heart, but Kat, Trini, Zack, Jason, Aisha, Adam, Tanya, and Rocky are my family. We're a family here, us ex-Rangers, and I don't want to leave them behind."
Jason stepped forward, taking Kat's hand. "Duchess Baliree, how much power does Queen Anarii have?"
"Enough for the princess and her prince."
"Do you have any power you can transfer?"
"A little. My sister and I together are powerful enough to make another powerful Mage from a powerless Human."
"What about two weak ones?" Jason pulled Kat forward. "You see, I'd love to go with my bro and sis, but I won't leave the girl of my dreams behind."
"I guess we could do two . . ."
Tanya picked up a small wooden box from the table and glanced around, catching the glance of each of the other five Rangers. In turn, they all nodded, knowing her thoughts. There was no question, no doubt, no hesitation. Kimberly needed them and they never let her down. "What use would you have for a bunch of diplomats?" She opened the box to reveal the glowing orb that held Azaemer ni'Lamyiaan's power, smiling. "I'm sure a princess needs her advisors, right, Kim?"
Kimberly swallowed, nodding as she tried desperately not to cry tears of joy. "Yeah, I do. Do you have any idea how to get his power out?"
Tanya pulled the orb out of the box and the other Rangers gathered around, Rocky, Trini, Zack, Adam, and Aisha reaching out to lay a hand on the sphere. They closed their eyes, concentrating, and blue light exploded from the glass orb, reaching out to engulf the six ex-Rangers. Baliree took a half-step forward to stop the humans, but it was too late. The pale blue color changed as it touched each ex-Ranger, infusing them each with a different aspect of Azaemer's enhanced powers as the orb vanished.
Tanya was dressed in darkened gold, shimmering silk covering her form, a clear crystal hanging from a gold chain around her neck. It changed to pale brown and then rose as she raised a hand to her head, wincing slightly. From her ears hung delicate golden earrings each ending in a tiny clear crystal point, a simple ear cuff on her right ear. "I can hear . . . feel . . . so much. Joy. So much happiness and joy . . . what power did I get?"
"Empath," Baliree whispered, glancing at the stone. "That's a nafiir stone, a semi-sentient being linked to an Empath to display the prevalent moods around her. As your link with the nafiir develops, you will be able to use her power to control what you sense and to keep her from showing what you and the people around you are feeling." She seemed slightly amused and surprised that whatever Mage the orb had come from had possessed empathic powers and the ability to bind to a nafiir.
Rocky examined his new suit, a dark burgundy color cut in a style reminiscent of the Ninja Ranger suits, minus the mask and hood. He did wear a headband with a filigreed gold symbol in the center, a katana-like sword swung across his back, a knife on each hip and one on each leather armband. He reached down and checked his boots, finding smaller, thinner, curved knives. He also wore a small pouch on his belt that held tiny stones, a long, thin crystal hanging from a gold chain around his neck. "I feel this low-level buzzing sound through my whole body, like an extra sense," he murmured. "I can see better, hear better . . . everything is enhanced. And I think I can see heat."
"The infrared spectrum," Baliree clarified. "If you concentrate hard enough—and it will become easier in time—you can also see into the ultraviolet. You are a warrior; your enhanced senses and reflexes and ability to see into other spectrums have become your best weapons. The crystal on your neck enhances your telepathic sending and receiving powers since you have little to let you speak to your princess. What Mage could possibly have Empathic and Warrior Powers?"
"What about me?" Trini was dressed in a pale golden yellow dress, strange symbols boldly embroidered along the skirt, a long white staff in one hand topped by a round multicolored stone that closely resembled an opal. Her long hair was held into an intricate pile of ringlets and curls by dozens of bejeweled combs, each one a different style and color. On her left wrist was a pale yellow leather band covered in tiny gems that shimmered in the light. Like Tanya, Trini wore two earrings, but the one on the right ear had a delicate golden chain linking the ear cuff and the diamond stud, a golden metal flower hanging halfway down her neck. On the left ear she had a long, hinged cuff all the way down the side of her ear, a small animal engraved into the bottom that resembled a small leaping gazelle.
"Diplomat," Baliree answered. "The armband on your wrist can translate any language directly into your brain and allow you to speak any language fluently as soon as the band recognizes it. The earrings you wear identify you as the highest level diplomat; the animal is an adrinakt, like an Earth gazelle, the symbol of peace and cooperation. In a group of Royal Advisors, there is always need for a diplomat."
Zack stepped forward next, his suit a combination of the warrior functionality of Rocky's ninja-like outfit, but toned down to reflect a more somber attitude. He wore a slightly smaller nafiir stone than Tanya and a heavy belt covered in crystals and small devices. He wore a leather band, but it seemed to be covered in small areas that shimmered in the light. He carried no weapon save a small knife on his armband, his outfit lacking the headband Rocky wore. "I think I'm partly an Empath, too," Zack murmured, touching the nafiir stone. "It's . . . younger, smaller, male . . . but there is something else. It's not warrior, Duchess Baliree."
"Teacher, Zack Taylor. Empathic Teachers are fairly rare, but most of the other power concentrations eventually evolve to teacher. It looks like Adam's power tend toward the Teacher spectrum as well, with a little Prophet thrown in for good measure. By the movements of the stars, what Mage gave you this power?"
Adam shrugged as he examined his more formal black robes covered in tiny colored dots meant to represent constellations in the night sky, a white opal in the center of the band on his forehead. A colored line ran down the center, giving the impression of a single eye, the crack expanding and contracting almost imperceptibly. He still wore the simple golden loop in one ear. "Prophet, huh? Cool. Does that mean I can see the future?"
"Prophets do not see the future, merely the most likely outcome of a specific set of circumstances. Only true Seers can walk the paths that the future may take. But a Prophet is of great use to a future queen." Baliree smiled as Aisha examined her outfit, less loose than the others', small instruments attached to her belt, a tiny black opal on her white headband. She wore simple boots and two armbands, her earrings only tiny studs. Her hands were covered in tiny lines that connected to her armbands at her wrists, the sensors moving with her skin. "And you, Aisha, have become a Medic-Midwife. I had no idea that any Mage could hold so many concentrations."
"And they can really go with us?" Kimberly bit her lip, her eagerness vibrating her slim frame. Tommy laughed and pulled his fiancée into his arms.
"Of course they can go with us! Duchess Baliree, when did you plan on leaving?"
"As soon as possible," the young Shamiri admitted. "We need to make all of you disappear. It is excessively difficult to make ten people suddenly vanish without one of three things—one, a war; two, a massively infectious, fast-acting plague; and three, a natural disaster. Since you are not an incredibly violent people and not in this country and have conquered most deadly, fast-acting plagues, natural disaster seems to be the best choice. I can easily agitate the tectonic plates in this area and create an earthquake. Or you can all go up in an airplane and have it conveniently malfunction and crash in the mountains somewhere."
Jason grinned as he waved for Baliree to stop. "Actually, Duchess, I have a much better idea, if you guys will agree."
"What is it, Bro?"
TBC